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A Polymer-based Piezoelectric Vibration Energy Harvester with a 3D Meshed-Core Structure
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Molecular Engineering of Ordered Piezoelectric Sulfonic Acid-Containing Assemblies
Hui Yuan1, Pierre-Andre Cazade2, Shuaikang Zhou3
1The Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 6997801, Israel.
Small (Weinheim an Der Bergstrasse, Germany)
|December 10, 2023
Summary
Researchers developed novel bioorganic molecules for piezoelectric energy harvesting. Adding an amide terminus broke centrosymmetry, enabling efficient energy conversion in self-assembled biocrystals.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Biomaterials Engineering
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Sulfonic acid-containing bioorganic monomers offer molecular design flexibility for functional biocrystals.
- Existing materials lack strategies to break centrosymmetry, hindering piezoelectric energy harvesting applications.
- Exploring non-centrosymmetric bioorganic assemblies is crucial for developing advanced energy harvesting devices.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate a method for achieving non-centrosymmetric bioorganic assemblies for piezoelectric applications.
- To investigate the impact of molecular terminal groups on the self-assembly and piezoelectric properties of bioorganic materials.
- To establish a correlation between molecular structure and piezoelectric performance for tailor-made biomaterial design.
Main Methods:
- Synthesized sulfonic acid-containing bioorganic monomers with varying terminal groups (amide, amino, cyclohexyl).
- Investigated molecular packing and self-assembly behavior using structural analysis.
- Fabricated nanogenerator devices to evaluate piezoelectric performance, including piezoelectric coefficient, open-circuit voltage, and power output.
Main Results:
- Amide-functionalized monomers self-assembled into polar supramolecular parallel β-sheet-like structures, exhibiting non-centrosymmetry.
- Achieved a high longitudinal piezoelectric coefficient (d11 = 15.9 pm V⁻¹), >1 V open-circuit voltage, and 18 nW maximal power.
- Monomers with amino or cyclohexyl termini formed centrosymmetric structures (diamondoid-like or 2D double layers) lacking piezoelectricity.
- Demonstrated tunable morphology, thermostability, and mechanical properties in non-piezoelectric assemblies.
Conclusions:
- A facile approach to induce symmetry transformation in bioorganic assemblies was successfully demonstrated.
- The terminal group significantly influences molecular packing and dictates piezoelectric properties.
- This work provides a foundation for designing high-performance piezoelectric biomaterials by correlating terminal groups with desired properties.
